"I made a lot of things that go with things." Calvin Klein
Calvin Klein was born in 1942. He studied at the New York High School of Art and Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology before launching his clothing company in 1968.
His initial collection of coats and dresses was purchased by Bonwit Teller, and he rapidly expanded into sportswear and casual wear.
"You have to have a sense of what women want, you have to get it made well, and get it there on time." Calvin Klein
Klein became most famous for his jeans and underwear - he was the first fashion designer to make women's underwear that looked like men's underwear.
His business expanded heavily into perfumes, accessories, and home decor, and has become one of the top lifestyle brands on the market.
Klein's clothes are clean, simple, modern, and often minimalist, and are designed to be practical for use in many situations.
Klein's advertising has been highly sexual and provocative, including the famous "You know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing." ad featuring Brooke Shields.
Klein has won numerous fashion awards, including being the youngest designer to win the Coty Award (he won it in 1973, 1974, and 1975) and being the first designer to ever receive the menswear and womenswear designer of the year awards from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in the same year (which he did in 1982, 1983, 1986, and 1993). Klein was one of the initial 8 designers honored with a star on New York City's Fashion Walk of Fame.
Klein was named by Time magazine in 1996 to its list of "25 Most Influential Americans".